Date:         Fri, 27 Jul 2012 12:15:23 -0700
Reply-To:     Poppie Jagersand <poppie.jagersand@YAHOO.CA>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Poppie Jagersand <poppie.jagersand@YAHOO.CA>
Subject:      [F] Overnight mooring charges are per foot of boat. How about
              camoing charges in relation to size?
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1

Boats pay overnight marina mooring charges per foot. Moderate boat = moderate fee; large boat = large fee.

How come we don't have something similar for national park campgrounds (as well as state, provincial  and other public ones)?

A decade or two ago many of the public campgrounds I stayed in charged $5-10/night and were very basic. Now many have been rebuilt with large gravel pads for RV's more facilities etc and charge 20, 30 sometimes up towards $40.  
While $40/night is a drop in the sea for someone in a $100,000 RV, it might be the full price of the Walmart tent for the family in the spot next to them. We all have a part in the public lands and there ought to be options for everyone.

In some small fraction of campgrounds there are walk-in tent only areas. In even fewer cases these tent areas are in the nicest part of the campground (Twojack lake in Banff is an example where the tents get to be near the lake shore).
It is not that it is that easy to be a tent camper these days. Among 100's of campgrounds I've been to in the Canadian rockies less than 10% have a decent tent-only facility.

Aside from the economic fairness, one simply does not get the same experience in a tent when walled in by RV's on all sides, and much the same goes for being in the VW camper walled in by monster-size RV's.

Has anyone seen constructive attempts to create different size categories? Talked to officials and have them seem to understand?

So it would seem possible to have more categories with charges proportional to footprint.
1. Tents
2. Vehicles less than 18"
3. Vehicles vehicles and combinations above 18"

Surely some campgrounds have vehicle restrictions, but they tend to be motivated by physical obstacles for these large vehicles, not the desire to create fair pricing and an enjoyable stay for everyone.

Any thoughts? 

Any chance to have impact on this?

B.t.w. It is not that I harbor a hatred against the RV people. Most of the ones I meet are perfectly nice.

Martin (and "Poppie '82 Westie")